The Broncos need a little attitude, if they hope to fare better in 2023 than they did in 2022.
They showed some attitude on Wednesday, with a practice that, according to head coach Sean Payton, got a little “chippy.”
“Obviously, it got a little chippy,” Payton told reporters after the second day of the team’s mandatory minicamp. “I liked how we responded and got through the workout.”
So what’s the message when chip happens?
“The message is we have to understand what we are trying to accomplish as a team,” Payton said. “It’s always the challenge for the [offensive] and [defensive] linemen. We also have to be able to understand discipline-wise how to get to the edge, but not cross the line. Games come up, we saw it last year [in] a playoff run; I referenced the Cincinnati Bengals’ penalty late [in the AFC Championship Game]. You have to train yourself mentally to get onto the next play. That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
In theory, there should be no reason for any choppiness during non-contact offseason practices. In practice, well, football players sometimes behave like football players. They push and show a little more than they should during the play, which leads to pushing and shoving after the play.
Even if the chippiness eventually gets the Broncos in a little hot water with the union or the league for having contact at non-contact practices, Payton surely would say that it was worth it, if ht helped develop an attitude that the team was lacking in 2022.
